Fence.



4 No. 669,244. Patented Mar. 5, |90I.

' F. LIGH DT.

;W w W W WH MW No. 669,244. Patented Mar. 5, 190i.

F. LICHTFELDT.

FENGE.

(Application filed Nov. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.) l 2 Sheets--Sheat 2 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

FREDERICK LICHTFELDT, OF MILWAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

FENCE.

sP'EcIFIcATIoN formmg part of Letters Patent No. eee-,244, dama 'March 5, 1901. Application filed November 24, 1899. Serial No. 788,184. (o model.)

To all whom, it mar/y concern:

Be it known that LFREDERICK LICHTFELDT, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvemeut in Fences, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved post that is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that is adapted readily and easily to be put up by any one with only a few tools commonly in use, that is neat and att ractive in appearance, and that is strong and durable in a fence.

The invention consists of the post and its parts and combinations of parts, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevatiou of a fragment of my improved fence, parts be-. ing broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 2 is an elevation of acorner-post, parts being shown in section, the view being at a right angle to the view of the posts in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail, partly iu section, showing the means for connecting together two abutting ends of rails. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of the construction shown in Fig. 4.

The post of my improved construction is entirely of metal and mostly preferably of steel. The post 1 is constructed of a metal bar, and preferably of a channeled bar of steel, integralthroughout its length and bent as shown in Fig. 2, forming two upright legs united by the medial bend of the bar at the bottom. These two legs of the post for the greater portion of their lengths are when the fence is in position above ground parallel and opposite each other and only so far apart as to readily take the rails 2 2 between them. A little above that portion of the post that is in the ground when the fence is set up the rails are bent and carried laterally, forming a medial widened portion 3 3, and below this the legs spread obliquely apart, forming the lower terminal branching portion 4 4, the lower extremity of which branching portion of the post is connected by the bottom cross portion 5. To this bottom cross portion 5 a substantially flat plate-foot 6 is riveted, the foot being adapted to rest firmly on the earth at the bottom of the post-hole in the ground and support the post in upright position. In the space between the two legs 3 3 of the widened medial portion of the post a web or plate 7 is inserted and is conveniently secured to the legs of the post by tongues 8 8,

integral with and projecting from the edges of the web-plate, that enter slots therefor, in the bar of which the legs of the post are construct'ed, and these tongues being opposite or headed down in the channels of the legs secure the plate in place in the post. VVhen the post is in the ground, the earth bearing against this web on both sides of ilv prevents the post from being tilted over in the direction against which the web resists against the earth.

The two rails 2 2 of the fence are also preferablyconstructedofchanneledsteel bars,and these are secured detachably and adjustably to the posts by being inserted between the upright parallel legs thereof above bolts 9 9, passing through the legs of the post, which are made to grip the rails t-ightly and hold them in place by turningthe nuts on the bolts down tightly against the leg of the post within the channel. The rails may be secured in place in horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, or Where the posts are set in perpendicular positions on the side of 'a hill the rails may be secured therein in iuclined positions. Metal finial ornaments 10 10, provided with furcate lower ends, are conveniently secured to the tops of the posts by placing their furcate' ends in the channels of the legs of the posts and put-ting the bolt 9 through the furcate ends of the ornaments. The widths of these furcate ends of the ornaments are such as to fit snugly in the channels of the legs of the posts, and thus prevent the tilt'ing of the ornaments on the bolt 9 as a pivot. The cornerposts are provided with rail-attaching devices ll ll, that consist of short metal straps bent at an angle medially, (at a right angle for use on level ground and at an oblique angle for use ou inclined ground,) which rail-attaching devices are secured to the side of a post, conveniently by putting the bolts 9 9 through one leg of the bent straps or attaching devices. These straps, of which the legattaching devices are constructed, are of such width as to fit snugly into the Channels of the posts and the rails, and thus prev'ent any displacement of the parts by lateral movement.

The rails 2 2, that in constructinr a fence abut together end to end, are secured to each other by means of rail-coupling devices consisting of a coupling member 12, which is a short bar of steel, ordinarily about nine or ten inches long', fitted and placed in the channels of the ends of the abutting rails and held thereto by loosely-fitting collars 13 13 about the rail and the member 12 and slidable thereon andprovided With holding-screws 14 14, that respectively turn through an enlarged boss-like side of the collar against the member 12, fittina in the channel of the rail and flush with the walls of the channel. These collars are aflvisably located three or four inches from the ends of the ralls, and as the members 12 fit snug'ly into the channels in the rails the coupling devices hold the rails securely to each other and in position. Collars 13' of the same form are employed tovse-` cure the ends of the rails to the rail-attaching device 11, where the rails are secured to the channeled edges of a post.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A fence-post, consis'ring of an integral bent bar of metal, comprsingahorizontallydispose'd bottom extremity of the post, leg members continuing from the bottom up- Wardly and obliquely inwardly for a distance, thence at a considerable distance apart upwardly parallel with each other, then'ce obliquely inwardly, and thence upwardly near to and parallel with each other, and means connecting the upper near-by parallel portions of the legs directly to each other.

2. A fence-post, consisting of a bent integral channeled bar of metal having a horizontally-disposed bottom extremlty of the post and two legs extending upwardlytherefrom inclined inwardly toward each other upwardly for a distance, thence parallel with each other, thence inwardly toward each other, thence near to and parallel with each other, and bolts through the webs of the bars connecting the legs to each other near their upper extremities.

3. A fence-post, comprising an integral bar of metal bent medially forming` a connected lower extremity and two urn'vardly-extending legs the upper portions of which are adjacent and parallel to each other, a medial widened portion, and a lower more widely branching portion, a web inserted between and secured to the legs of the medial widened portion, and means conneot'ing the upper adjacent parallel leg portions.

4. A fence-post, comprising an integral bar of metal bent medially forming a connected lower extremity and two upWardly-extending legs, the upper portions of which are adjacent and parallel with each other, a medial widened porrion and a lower more widely branching portion, a web inserted between and secured to the legs of the medial widened portion, and a bot'tom plate secured to the ,connecting bottom portion of theintegral ba r.

5. A fence -'post, comprising' an integral channeled bar of metal bent medially forming a connected lower extremity and two upwardly-exfending lens, having the channel outwardly, an ornamental finial constructed with furcate members that fit at the top into the eXt-erior Channels in the legs of the posts and are held upright thereby, and a holt through the webs of the legs of the post and through the fu rcate members of the finial securing the legs of 'the post near each other and securing the final in the chan nels to the post.

6. In a fence, a postconstructed of a metal channeled bar, having the channel outwardly, a channeled rail, a rail-attaching de- 'vice consisting of an angled Strap of metal fitted into the channel of the post and the channel of the rail, whereby the members are held against lateral displacement, a bolt securing the angled Strap to the post, and a collar with a holding-sercu' securing the angled strap releasably to the rail.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK LIGI-I' `FEDT.

Witnesses:

C. T. BENEDIOT, ANNA V. IT'AUST. 

